Arvin “Tado” Jimenez joked about death a day before his accident2/08/2014 12:00 AMby: Cristina Malonzo

According to an update on“Bandila,” casualties of the accident involving the Florida Bus that fell off a ravine in the Mountain Province on the morning of Febuary 7, are at the Bontoc General Hospital.

The Information Officer of the Cordillera Police Regional Office confirmed that among the 14 who died, is comedian-host Arvin Jimenez, popularly known as Tado. Also included among those who died are two tourists from Canada and the Netherlands.

Investigation says that the bus hit the mountain before it fell into a 120-meter deep ravine. The bus apparently lost its brakes but the conductor was able to jump off the bus before it fell.

The 32 injured passengers are still being treated at the Bontoc Genereal Hospital.

A day before the accident, Tado posted a photo of him online putting on make-up. The caption read “North o South.. cemetery.” Some people took this to be a foreshadowing of his death. The comedian had set off this Friday for Bontoc for a personal project called “40 Mountains Project.” His last posts on his Instagram account include a picture of the Florida Bus he rode and some huge squash he saw during a stopover in Sta. Fe.

Tado rose to fame in 2001 when he co-hosted the reality comedy show "Strangebrew" on UNTV. He went on to appear in a number of ABS-CBN programs, including "Bituin" in 2002, "OK Fine Whatever" and "Masayang Tanghali Bayan" in 2003. He also appeared last year in “It’s Showtime,” where he gave a message to his lookalike Arphie Hope Armachuelo, a contestant and finalist on the show’s ‘Kalokalike’ segment

MANILA - (UPDATED) Comedian Tado, whose real name is Arvin Jimenez, was among 14 people killed Friday morning after a passenger bus fell off a ravine in Bontoc, Mountain Province.

Jimenez was one of 45 passengers on board the Florida bus with plate number TXT 872, Sr. Inspector Benjamin Chaloy confirmed to ABS-CBNnews.com.

The vehicle fell off the 500-meter deep ravine in Sitio Pagpag, Barangay Tabulin in Bontoc at around 7:20 a.m., according to Police Provincial Director Oliver Enmodias.

The bus came from its terminal in Sampaloc, Manila.

In a post dated February 6 on image-sharing service Instagram, Jimenez shared a photo of a bus headed to Bontoc, captioned: "Long trip, as in trip trip."

Initial reports on Friday said 9 of the 14 fatalities in the accident died on the spot. At least 24 were injured, while four passengers went missing.

Jimenez rose to fame in 2001 when he co-hosted the reality comedy show "Strangebrew" on UNTV. He went on to appear in a number of ABS-CBN programs, including "Bituin" in 2002, and "OK Fine Whatever" and "Masayang Tanghali Bayan" in 2003.

In 2011, Jimenez released his humor book, "Nag-Iisa Lang Ako," which was followed by a similar outing, "All About Myself, Not Yours: Bio-Eulogy ni Tado Jimenez" a year later.

Shortly after news broke of Jimenez's death at around 6:30 p.m. Friday, the terms "#RIPTado," "Bontoc," and "Strangebrew" became top local trending topics on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Fans of the comedian took to the social networking site to share photos of Jimenez, including one taken from his Instagram page which they noted appeared to foreshadow the tragic accident.

In a post also dated February 6, Jimenez is seen putting on make-up. He captioned the photo: "North o South... cemetery?"

Others, meanwhile, paid tribute to the comedian by posting photos of him taken during his "Strangebrew" days and relating their fond memories of Jimenez and his unique brand of humor. (With reports from Armenio Supang, dzMM; Mae Cornes, ABS-CBN News Northern Luzon)

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